F 
9 

M2.S 


MCPARLIN 

NOTES  ON  NEW 
MEXICO 


BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


NOTES 


ON   THE 


HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE 


OF 


NEW    MEXICO 


J5Y 


Dr.   THOS.  A.   McPARLIN, 

SURGEON  U.   S.   ARMY. 


FROM    THE    SMITHSONIAN    REPORT    FOR    1876 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT    PRINTING    OFFICE 

1877. 


NOTES 


ON    THE 


HISTORY   AND    CLIMATE 


OF 


NEW    MEXICO. 


BY 


Dr.  THOS.  A.  McPARLlN, 

ni 

SURGEON  U.    S.   ARMY. 


FROM    THE    SMITHSONIAN    REPORT    FOR    1876. 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT    PRINTING    OFFICE. 

1877. 


NOTES  ON  THE  HISTORY  AND  CLIMATE  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


BY  DR.  THOS.  A.  McPARLix,  Surgeon,  United  States  Army. 
(Communicated  by  General  J.  K.  Barnes,  Surgeon-General,  United  States  Army.) 


HISTORY   OF   NEW   MEXICO. 

What  is  DOW  known  as  New  Mexico  has  had  a  varied  history.  First, 
the  home  of  nomadic  Indians,  perhaps  as  peaceable,  loving,  and  tracta- 
ble as  those  first  described  by  Columbus.  Gold  and  silver  and  the  quest 
of  precious  jewels,  like  the  Golden  Fleece,  brought  over  the  Spaniards, 
and  with  them  Mother  Church.  In  1540  Francisco  Vasquez  Coron- 
ado  came  to  the  country  with  an  expedition.  He  found  some  of  the 
Indians  nomadic,  and  others  living  in  settlements,  and  among  them  he 
describes  Cicuye,  extending  along  the  river  for  six  miles,  and  the  soil 
cultivated  by  the  Indians,  from  the  mountains  as  far  west  as  the  present 
town  of  Agua  Fria.  This  pueblo  and  cultivated  valley  correspond  with 
what  was  afterward  named  after  the  patron  saint,  San  Francisco  de 
Asis  de  Santa  Fe.  As  it  is  at  least  four  hundred  years  old  as  a  town, 
(how  much  older  it  may  be  there  are  no  means  of  determining,)  it  is 
much  older  than  San  Augustine,  Fla..  founded  in  1565,  or  any  other 
town  on  this  continent. 

In  1546,  during  the  empire  of  Charles  Y,  it  was  determined  to  encour- 
age the  settlement  of  the  Indians  in  towns  in  order  to  protect  the  Pu- 
eblo Indians.  New  Mexican  Pueblo  traditions  accredit  Montezuma  with 
having  gone  south  from  this  Territory,  and  with  his  people  the  substan- 
tial evidences  of  gold  and  precious  minerals  gave  the  Mexicans  and 
their  conquerors,  under  Cortez,  the  information  that  their  gold  came 
from  the  north,  and  with  precious  minerals  existed  here  in  great  quan- 
tities. 

The  Indians  were  compelled  by  the  Spaniards  of  this  country  to  dig 
the  mines  in  all  parts  of  the  Territory,  to  carry  water,  and  pack  ores  and 
fuel  on  their  backs  to  the  furnaces  ;  and  in  consequence,  after  the  rebel- 
lion in  1680,  when  they  drove  the  Spaniards  out,  they  filled  up  and  care- 
fully concealed  all  evidences  and  traces  of  the  mines  they  had  worked 
so  successfully.  When  in  1704  the  Spaniards  revisited  New  Mexico, 
the  Pueblos  entered  into  a  compromise  "  by  which  the  Spaniards  were 
permitted  to  return,  but  with  the  positive  and  express  condition  that 
they  should  not  open  the  mines  or  prosecute  mining  as  a  pursuit." 

Hence  it  is  probable  that  the  richest  mines  in  this  country  are  yet  to 
be  discovered ;  and  it  is  certain  that  but  for  the  scarcity  of  water  very 
many  now  known,  but  only  imperfectly  worked,  would  be  very  product- 
ive. The  records  of  the  ancient  mine  near  Abiquiu,  derived  from  an 


Z        NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO. 

old  church  Dear  by,  show  that  10  per  cent,  in  tithes  collected  from  it 
amounted  to  $10,000,000.  Xo  mining  of  any  extent  has  been  prosecuted 
in  this  mine  since  1680.  Gold,  silver,  and  coal  and  turquoise  are  found 
near  Santa  Fe ;  and  from  this  country  an  unusually  large  and  valuable 
turquoise  was  sent  to  the  Emperor. 

Pedro  de  Eeralto  was  governor  in  1600 ;  in  1640  General  Arguello 
was  governor  and  captain-general,  resident  at  Santa  Fe  as  the  capital ; 
General  Concha,  in  1650;  Henrique  de  Abila  y  Pacheco,  in  1656;  Juan 
Francisco  Junio,  in  1675;  Antonio  de  Oterurin,  in  1680-'83. 

The  Indians  rebelled  first  in  1583  and  again  in  1680,  and  on  the  night 
of  the  20th  August,  1680,  Otermin  evacuated  the  place  and  marched 
to  El  Paso,  arriving  there  October  1. 

In  1681  the  viceroy  at  Mexico  dispatched  General  Otermin  from  El 
Paso  with  an  army  to  recapture  the  capital ;  but  after  reaching  La  Ba- 
jada,  21  miles  from  Santa  Fe,  he  gave  up  the  enterprise,  finding  the 
Pueblos  concentrated  to  resist  him.  In  1692  the  viceroy  commissioned 
Diego  de  Vargas  Zapata  Lujau  Ponce  de  Leon  as  governor  and  captain- 
general  of  New  Mexico,  who  fought  and  overcame  the  Pueblos  Septem- 
ber 13  of  that  year  and  entered  into  Santa  Fe.  After  the  re-establish- 
ment of  Spanish  supremacy  he  returned  to  El  Paso,  reaching  there  De- 
cember 20,  1692,  and  returned  December  16, 1693,  to  Santa  Fe,  where  his 
occupation  and  re-entry  was  disputed,  and  a  battle  was  fought  on  Christ- 
mas-day. The  next  day  he  took  formal  possession  of  Santa  Fe,  in  the 
name  of  King  Charles  II. 

After  the  reconquest  by  the  Spaniards,  the  Pueblos  (twelve  towns 
on  the  Eio  Grande  or  in  the  vicinity)  made  their  submission  and  were 
subject  until  1837,  when  they  rebelled,  on  account  of  a  tax  on  tobacco 
and  other  articles  laid  by  Governor  albino  Perez.  After  fighting  a 
battle  with  the  Pueblos  at  Santa  Cruz  de  la  Canada,  he  was  beaten, 
returned  to  the  suburbs  of  Santa  Fe,  where  he  was  overtaken  and  as- 
sassinated, August  9,  1837. 

In  1838,  Manuel  Armijo  was  recognized  as  governor,  and  continued 
so  until  the  capital  was  taken  possession  of,  in  the  name  of  the  United 
States,  by  General  Stephen  \V.  J.  Kearney,  U.  S.  A.,  August  18,  1846. 
General  Kearney  occupied  the  palace,  a  building  now  in  existence,  and 
which  was  erected  previous  to  the  year  1581,  being  built  then  of  mate- 
rial of  the  old  Indian  town,"  (Cicuye.)  Since  his  time  it  has  been  occu- 
pied successively  by  Col.  John  M.  Washington,  Col.  John  Monroe  and 
Col.  E.  V.  Sumner,  as  military  governors,  until  March,  1851,  when  the  ex- 
isting territorial  government  was  initiated. 

The  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  contains  several  extended  docu- 
ments, in  Spanish,  upon  the  history  of  the  conquest,  occupation  and 
recouquest  of  the  country.  From  these  and  the  works  written  upon 
New  Mexico  by  Mr,  Elias  Brevoort,  Gov.  W.  F.  X.  Amy,  Mr.  D.  J. 
Miller,  and  General  Davis,  the  student  may  find  ample  material  for 
interesting  inquiry. 


NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO.       3 
CLIMATOLOGY. 

Formerly  a  journey  across  the  plains,  a  distance  of  700  miles  from 
the  frontier  of  Missouri,  requiring  a  life  in  the  open  air,  traveling  with 
a  wagon-train,  amid  hostile  Indians,  from  May  to  July,  was  necessary 
to  reach  Santa  Fe.  Many  pulmonary  invalids  came  out,  living  on  game 
and  buffalo-meat,  gradually  ascending  day  by  day  to  the  level  of  8,000  feet 
in  the  Eocky  Mountains.  They  were  undoubtedly  in  the  great  majority 
of  cases  benefited,  while  many  recovered  from  threatened  consumption. 

Two  railroads  now  have  advanced  to  within  220  miles  of  Santa  Fe,  at 
El  Moro.  near  Trinidad,  and  it  is  expected  that  by  May  1, 1877,  the  Den- 
ver and  Eio  Grande  Kailroad  will  be  completed  to  Fort  Garland,  156 
miles  from  Santa  Fe.  The  line  of  daily  stages  now  runs  from  Santa  Fe 
to  El  Moro  in  36  hours. 

Now  the  traveler  passes  over  the  plains  on  the  railroad,  and  at  once 
begins  traversing  the  Eaton  Mountain  chain  and  then  the  spurs  of  the 
Eocky  Mountains.  The  old-fashioned  trip  across  the  plains  is  deprived 
of  many  advantages  to  the  invalid  above  mentioned ;  although  in  some 
cases  it  is  (especially  to  the  timid  valetudinarian)  compensated  by  an 
earlier  and  more  comfortable  transit. 

The  altitude  of  Las  Aniinas,  (Fort  Lyon,)  4,000  feet,  and  of  Trinidad, 
5,000  feet  above  the  sea,  has  been  quite  beneficial  to  such  as  require  a 
gradual  approach  to  a  higher  level. 

They  are  accessible  by  railroad,  and  comfortable  accommodations  are 
to  be  had  at  both  places. 

After  reaching  Fort  Garland,  nearly  8,000  feet  above  the  sea,  or 
Santa  Fe,  6,846  feet,  any  less  degree  of  elevation  can  be  obtained  by 
going  southward  down  the  valley  of  the  Eio  Grande  toward  El  Paso, 
3,600  feet  of  altitude;  and  at  every  step  southward  a  milder  summer 
climate  will  be  found. 

A  portion  of  New  Mexico,  the  Mesilla  Valley,  acquired  in  1848  under 
the  Gadsden  treaty,  has  of  late  years  developed  features  of  unusual 
interest  on  account  of  its  mines,  minerals,  pasturage,  fertility  and 
climate.  It  is  between  the  thirty-third  and  thirty-first  and  a  half  par- 
allels of  latitude,  is  about  70  miles  long,  from  1  to  6  miles  wide,  and 
contains  about  280  square  miles ;  embracing  the  towns  of  Dona  Ana, 
(population  1,000,)  Las  Cruces,  (2,000,)  Mesilla,  (2,000,)  and  others  of  less 
size. 

The  air  is  mild,  snow  being  very  rarely  seen,  with  a  bright  daily  sun- 
shine in  about  360  days  of  the  year.  Vegetation  dries  rather  than  rots ; 
meat  is  cured  without  salt  in  the  open  air;  and  it  presents  to  the  inva- 
lid the  advantages  of  a  very  moderate  altitude,  varying  from  about 
4,000  feet  near  the  Eio  Grande  to  about  7,000  feet  in  the  high  cattle-ranges 
of  the  Guadaloupe  and  other  mountains.  The  valley  is  protected  by 
the  mountains  from  the  cold  winds  prevailing  from  the  north. 

I  know  of  one  asthmatic  patient  who  abandoned  the  Pacific  coast  to 
join  a  friend  in  Mesilla,  who,  similarly  affected  in  every  other  locality, 


4        NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF   NEW    MEXICO. 

had  wanted  him  to  join  him.  His  friend  had  secured  the  desired 
climatic  relief  aiid  taken  up  his  residence  there. 

The  dryness  of  the  air  in  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  and  Mesiila  I  have 
no  doubt  is  not  exaggerated.  During  the  past  year  I  had  occasion  to 
see  the  body  of  an  individual  who  died  on  the  southern  plains  (of  starva- 
tion, it  is  said)  several  (perhaps  seven)  years  ago.  The  body  was  found 
some  time  after  death,  and  had  been  buried  near  Fort  Craig.  It  was 
disinterred  for  removal  to  the  national  cemetery  here  in  1875,  and  pre- 
sented a  remarkable  preservation  by  desiccation.  The  process  it  had 
undergone  was  what  I  would  term  mummification,  and  reminded  me 
of  the  accounts  of  what  occurs  to  the  bodies  of  the  dead  when  aban- 
doned in  the  deserts  of  Lybia  or  Arabia. 

The  Mesiila  Valley  is  said  to  produce  a  fine  variety  of  grape,  with 
juices  heavier  than  from  the  grapes  of  Madeira  and  Portugal,  as  the 
grapes  remain  on  the  vine  until  they  commence  to  dry  before  being 
pressed ;  and  the  wort  contains  as  much  sugar  as  the  sweetest  of  Mal- 
aga, (Brevoort.)  When  dried,  they  make  a  good  raisin.  The  almond- 
tree,  peach,  apple,  pear,  quince,  apricot,  are  raised  there,  and  all  kinds 
of  garden-plants;  and  probably  game  is  as  abundant  as  elsewhere  in 
the  country. 

Mesiila  may,  I  think,  be  considered  a  very  favorable  locality  for  pul- 
monary invalids.  The  trip  across  the  plains  and  to  New  Mexico  may 
be  contrasted  and  compared  with  interest  to  the  invalid  with  that  which 
might  be  experienced  in  old  Mexico.  The  journey  from  Vera  Cruz  to 
Mexico  is  made  by  rail  in  fifteen  hours.  The  ascent  is  77459  feet,  (to 
the  highest  point  on  the  road  8,318  feet,)  and  is  made  in  ten  hours. 
'•Many  travelers,  though  in  health,  (says  Prof.  E.  E.  Peaslee,)  experi- 
ence a  decided  dyspnoea  on  reaching  these  altitudes,  especially  in  mak- 
ing any  considerable  exertion,  on  account  of  the  rarefaction  of  the 
atmosphere,  though  no  amount  of  effort  produces  much  sensible  per- 
spiration. The  consequences  in  cases  of  pulmonary  emphysema  or 
asthma  dependent  upon  cardiac  affections  are,  as  might  be  expected, 
not  favorable.  Asthma  depending  on  derangement  of  the  stomach, 
however,  is  sometimes  cured.  Chronic  bronchitis  also  is  not  likely  to 
be  relieved  at  this  altitude,  combined  with  the  dampness  I  have  men- 
tioned.* 

But  all  these  are  alleviated  by  a  residence  at  a  lower  altitude,  the 
point  suitable  for  such  cases  being  found  at  Vera  Cruz  or  between  that 
city  and  the  altitude  of  Cordova  or  Orizaba,  i.  e.  2.700  to  4,000  feet. 
(New  York  Medical  Record,  No.  286,  April  29, 1876,  p.  291.) 

The  situation  of  the  Mexican  peninsula  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pa- 
cific Oceans,  and  the  nearness  of  all  its  cities  to  one  or  other  ocean,  is 
very  different,  however,  from  that  of  the  inland  nature  of  Xew  Mexico  ; 

*  The  present  city  of  Mexico  was  built  upon  grounds  formerly  covered  by  Lake 
Tezcuco,  and  into  which  it  is  drained.  (See  New  York  Medical  Kecord,  April  27,  l-7ii. 
p.  290.) 


NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO.       5 

arid  especially  in  the  dryness  of  the  atmosphere  of  our  continent  is  the 
patient  interested. 

With  all  the  dampness  found  at  the  city  of  Mexico,  it  is  stated  by  Dr. 
Peaslee  that  "Phthisis  is  not  indigenous  in  that  city,  and  it  is  not  sel- 
dom arrested  in  those  who  come  here  from  the  north.  A  member  of  the 
Mexican  Congress  assured  me  that  the  natives  do  not  die  of  phthisis, 
and  that  the  lives  of  phthisical  patients  from  the  north  are  usually  much 
prolonged  by  a  permanent  residence  here."  (Ibid.,  p.  291.)  He  thinks, 
however,  it  presents  no  special  advantage  to  phthisical  or  bronchitic 
patients,  and  he  cannot  recommend  it  to  such  as  a  winter  residence. 

But  there  are  other  places  of  lower  altitude  in  this  country  (Mexico) 
which  he  believes  to  be  fully  equal,  and  in  some  respects  even  superior, 
to  any  of  the  famous  resorts  abroad,  mentioning  "  Cordova  (altitude 
2,715  feet)  and  Orizaba,  (4,030  feet,)  both  presenting  a  tropical  climate 
and  all  its  productions  and  the  most  grand  and  picturesque  scenery. 
Cordova  has,  moreover,  sometimes  been  visited  by  yellow  fever.  Jalapa 
also,  now  accessible  by  railroad,  is  doubtless  equal  to  either  of  these 
places  as  a  sanitarium  for  this  class  of  patients,  and  as  a  residence  is  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  places  on  earth.  Its  great  humidity  may,  however, 
render  it  unsuitable  to  some  cases,  and  the  sudden  chill  of  the  northers 
must  also  be  guarded  against  in  these  places.  But  Cuernavaca,  60 
miles  south  of  Mexico  and  not  accessible  by  railroad,  has  an  altitude  of 
5,428  feet,  and  the  same  climate  and  productions  as  Orizaba,  and  is  far 
more  desirable.  In  addition  to  these.  Tetecala,  not  far  from  Cuerna- 
vaca ;  Atlixco,  23  miles  from  Puebla,  and  Monterey,  are  mentioned  by 
Dr.  Peaslee,  though  the  latter  is  only  accessible  by  a  tedious  journey  by 
diligence." 

It  may  be  interesting  to  compare  with  the  climate  of  Mexico  that  of 
Colorado,  Utah,  New  Mexico,  and  Texas.  Whatever  may  be  lost  of  the 
tropical  air  and  productions  as  we  go  northward  from  Mexico  may  be 
more  than  made  up  by  the  dryness  of  the  atmosphere,  a  short  wet  sea- 
son, and  diminished  rain-fall. 

In  some  localities  dust-storms  are  sufficiently  prevalent  to  be  prejudi- 
cial, on  account  of  the  irritation  they  occasion  to  the  air-passages.  In 
Texas»tfte  heat  of  summer  is  extreme,  and  the  sudden  vicissitudes  of  tem- 
perature and  moisture  and  extreme  chill  produced  by  northers  are 
worse,  perhaps,  than  in  Mexico.  In  Utah  (see  Eeport  of  Surgeon  E.  P. 
Yollurn,  Circular  No.  8,  Surgeon-General's  Office,  May  1, 1875,  p.  343)  the 
humidity  is  marked  in  the  spring  mouths,  arising  from  the  winds  passing 
over  Great  Salt  Lake  from  the  northward,  bringing  the  watery  vapors 
not  only  from  that  great  body  of  water,  but  also  from  the  regions  beyond, 
supplied  by  the  southwesterly  currents  that  are  seen  to  pass  over  at  a 
great  altitude  most  of  the  winter  long.  This  statement  is  true  as  to 
the  climate  of  Camp  Douglas,  2J  miles  east  of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  at  an 
altitude  of  4,904  feet  above  the  sea. 

"Great  Salt  Lake,  with  a  shore-line,  exclusive  of  offsets,  of  291  miles, 
is  vast  enough  to  furnish  a  horizon  in  places  like  the  ocean  itself." 


b        NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO. 

In  Dr.  Vollum's  special  report  on  the  diseases  of  Utah,  (ibid.,  pp.  341- 
343,)  he  regards  the  altitude  and  climate  of  Utah  on  phthisis  as  favor- 
able.  *  *  "  If  a  case  conies  here  in  the  incipient  stage,  and  is  well 
situated  for  comforts,  that  it  will  get  well  spontaneously  from  the  bene- 
ficial effects  of  this  altitude  and  the  inland  dry  character  of  the  atmos- 
phere. It  is  the  boast  of  the  people  that  this  is  not  a  consumptive  coun- 
try, which  is  my  opinion  decidedly.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  believed 
that  if  a  patient  comes  here  in  the  later  stages  of  the  disease,  that  the 
atmosphere  is  too  rare  to  give  the  proper  support,  and  that  the  case  will 
be  hastened  to  a  termination  more  speedily  than  on  the  sea-coast.  *  * 
The  beneficial  influence  of  this  climate  on  asthma  is  decided  and  deserves 
a  prominent  mention.  It  is  also  the  boast  of  the  people,  as  well  as  the 
physicians,  that  asthma  cannot  exist  here,  excepting  under  a  relieved 
and  modified  condition ;  which  I  think  is  the  case." 

Very  many  invalids  are  attracted  annually  to  the  mineral-waters  of 
Manitou,  Colorado,  (6,370  feet  above  the  sea-level,  and  8,000  below  the 
summit  of  Pike's  Peak,)  where  there  are  several  springs  containing  car- 
bonic acid  and  carbonate  of  soda,  (as  the  Xavajoe,  Manitou,  and  Ute 
soda;)  purging  carbonated  soda-waters,  modified  by  the  presence  of  sul- 
phate of  soda  and  potash,  as  the  "Little  Chief"  and  "Shoshone;"  and  fer- 
ruginous carbonated  soda-waters  containing  carbonate  of  iron,  as  in  the 
u  Iron  Ute"  and  the  "  Little  Chief  mineral  springs. 

In  a  memoir  (Saint  Louis,  1875)  on  the  climate  of  this  region,  by  S. 
Edwin  Solly,  M.  E.  C.  S.,  (late  house  surgeon  to  St.  Thomas  Hos- 
pital, London,)  reference  is  made  to  the  decrease  of  pressure  in  a  rarefied 
atmosphere,  causing  a  diminution  of  the  gases  of  the  blood  and  lymph, 
and  this  probably  checks  the  advance  of  phthisis,  as  unquestionably 
beneficial  in  certain  cases.  In  phthisis,  where  the  weakness  is  not  ex- 
cessive but  there  is  anaBmia  and  want  of  assimilation,  a  high  elevation 
with  a  moderate  supply  of  stimulants  and  a  course  of  cold  douches  is 
generally  beneficial.  The  greater  dryness  of  mountain  air  acts  bene- 
ficially on  phthisis,  probably  for  the  most  part  in  the  manner  indicated 
by  Dr.  Herman  Weber :  "  We  may  here  mention  that  although  the  loss 
of  moisture  to  the  whole  organism  may  not  be  greater  in  high  than  in 
low  elevations,  yet  the  acknowledged  greater  loss  through  the  lungs  may 
be  accompanied  by  local  effects  in  certain  morbid  conditions  of  the  res- 
piratory organs,  as  well  as  by  producing  a  more  active  circulation  in  the 
lungs  in  order  to  supply  the  required  moisture,  as  also  by  favoring  a 
kind  of  drying  up  of  surface,  secreting  a  morbid  amount  of  mucus  and 
pus,  and  also  of  moist  exudations  within  the  tissue.  Possibly  the  im- 
provement in  many  cases  of  chronic  catarrhal  pneumonia  may  be  pro- 
duced by  this  increased  afflux  of  blood  and  increased  loss  of  moisture." 

"Very  highly  situated  places  are  adapted  for  winter  treatment  (of 
phthisis)  on  account  of  the  greater  number  of  clear  days.'-'  (Brauu.) 
And  for  another  reason  they  are  specially  desirable  in  the  winter;  be- 
cause in  high  elevations  there  is  less  moisture  during  the  winter  than  at 


NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO.       7 

other  season  of  the  year,  and  therefore  the  air  being  dry,  the  greater 
actual  cold  than  in  lower  climates  is  felt  less  severely,  and  if  the  body 
is  warmly  clad  the  lowness  of  the  temperature  exerts  only  its  tonic  influ- 
ence. The  air  being  rarefied,  the  sun  has  a  much  greater  influence,  be- 
ing more  constantly  visible  in  mountainous  districts,  and  enables  the 
enfeebled  invalid  to  spend  several  hours  almost  daily  in  the  sunshine 
with  very  great  advantage.  (Page  32,  u  Manitou,  Colorado,  U.  S.  A.; 
its  mineral-waters  and  climate."  Saint  Louis,  J.  McKittrick  &  Co., 
1875.) 

Dr.  Solly  refers  to  the  fact  that  oxygen  is  essential  to  procure  change 
of  substance,  and  as  it  diminishes  in  proportion  to  the  elevation  above 
sea-level,  it  might  be  supposed  that  healthy  change  of  substance  would 
be  retarded  in  mountain  air ;  "  but  this,"  he  adds,  "  is  practically  found 
to  be  otherwise,  and  the  reason  doubtless  is  that,  as  only  about  25  per 
cent,  of  oxygen  is  on  an  average  used  in  respiration,  there  is  probably 
more  than  sufficient  oxygen  at  any  height  that  has  as  yet  been  attained 
by  man." 

The  discussion  as  to  the  gases  of  the  blood,  their  ratio  to  other  con- 
stituents, condition  of  the  oxygen  as  free,  mechanically  dissolved  there- 
in, or  chemically  combined,  or  both,  I  have  no  disposition  to  continue ; 
but  in  so  far  as  atmospheric  pressure  may  be  considered  an  important 
cause  of  variation,  we  have  the  statement  of  Lehman  (Physiological 
Chemistry,  vol.  1,  p.  572)  that  "  Liebig  is  certainly  in  the  right  when 
he  advances  the  proposition  that  l  a  gas  can  only  be  considered  as  me- 
chanically absorbed  when  its  quantity  increases  and  diminishes  in  pro- 
portion to  the  external  pressure.7"  We  think  we  are  justified  in  conclud- 
ing with  Liebig  that  the  quantity  of  oxygen  which  may  be  absorbed  by 
the  blood  is  constant  in  amount,  and,  to  a  certain  extent,  independent 
of  external  pressure — an  opinion  which  is  based  partly  on  the  fact  that 
the  respiratory  process  is  carried  on  nearly  the  same,  both  at  very  great 
heights  and  at  the  level  of  the  sea  ;  and  that  no  more  oxygen  is  absorbed, 
even  in  an  air  very  rich  in  oxygen,  than  in  the  ordinary  atmosphere."  A 
certain  amount  of  mechanical  difficulty,  labored  respiration,  on  ascend- 
ing heights  rapidly  is  generally  experienced.  At  the  same  time,  the 
very  great  strain  put  upon  the  muscles  of  locomotion  causes  pain  in  the 
limbs.  We  have  no  reason  to  expect  the  muscles  of  respiration  to  bear 
undue  exercise  and  strain  without  fatigue,  and  it  very  probably  contrib- 
utes largely  to  what  is  known  as  dyspnoea,  which  is  experienced  as 
severely  after  rapid  running  any  distance  upon  a  plain.  The  question 
might  be  asked  to  what  extent  a  diminished  atmospheric  pressure  might 
facilitate  the  escape  of  carbonic  acid  from  the  lungs  I  May  it  not  be  far 
more  important  to  free  the  blood  rapidly  of  its  carbonic  acid,  which  is 
poisonous,  than  to  inhale  and  accumulate  oxygen  in  excess  of  the  need 
of  the  system  and  the  chemical  capacity  of  .the  blood  to  utilize  ? 

The  extent  to  which  diminished  pressure  alone  may  affect  respiration 
can  best  be  determined  by  the  aeronaut,  who  reaches  a  height  without 


8        NOTES    OX    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO. 

physical  fatigue.  He  does  so,  however,  at  a  very  rapid  rate,  and  a 
quickened  respiration  is  the  result.  Dyspnoea  (besom  de  respirer)  results 
from  any  change  of  accustomed  relations  between  the  lungs  and  the  air 
to  be  respired.  It  occurs  in  pregnancy;  (in  dropsical  accumulations, 
abdominal  or  thoracic,  which  obstruct  the  expansion  of  the  chest  and 
lungs,  and  limit  the  free  play  of  the  muscles  of  respiration  and  fatigue 
them.)  Emotional  disturbances,  nervous  perturbations,  and  mental  anx- 
iety cause  it,  as  well  as  any  undue  physical  labor  or  unwonted  exertion. 

That  the  respiration  of  an  atmosphere  of  8,000  feet  above  sea-level 
need  not  necessarily  involve  dyspnoea  in  an  individual,  I  know  from  per- 
sonal experience.  I  visited  this  country,  ascending  8,000  feet,  in  1849, 
and  lived  at  an  elevation  of  between  6,700  and  7,000  feet  for  three  years. 
Again,  in  the  past  year  (1875)  I  revisited  Xew  Mexico,  and  I  have  never 
detected  in  myself  any  disturbance  of  respiration  as  the  effect  of  this 
altitude — not  even  a  quickened  respiration.  I  am  not  unmindful  of  the 
fact,  however,  that  another  person  may  have  a  different  experience,  but 
it  may,  perhaps,  be  attributable  to  other  causes  than  altitude,  or  as  com- 
bined with  it. 

The  amount  of  oxygen  present  available  for  respiration  may  be  in  some 
degree  dependent  upon  the  stagnation  or  relative  movement  of  the  air. 
A  moveless  atmosphere  becomes  very  oppressive,  and  perhaps  is  most 
prevalent  in  low  countries.  The  movement  of  the  air  is,  as  a  rule, 
greater  in  the  mountains  and  high  altitudes  generally.  1  invite  atten- 
tion in  this  connection  to  the  Chief  Signal-Officer's  remarks  for  October, 
1874,  (page  285,  report  for  1875 :)  u  The  extreme  maximum  movements 
of  the  wind  have  been,  at  Breckeuridge,  7,650  miles;  at  Cape  Henry, 
9,147;  Cape  May,  6,907;  Cleveland,  7.281;  Escauaba,  Mich.,  7,217; 
Long  Branch,  9,242;  Pike's  Peak,  14,734;  Sandy  Hook,  10,917.  The 
extreme  minimum  movements  have  been,  at  Memphis,  1,700,  and  at 
Shreveport,  1,886.  The  calm  area  is  therefore  coterminous  with  that  of 
high  pressure." 

That  high  temperature  produces  oppression  in  breathing  is  evidenced 
in  the  East  Indies  both  in  the  periods  of  calm  and  during  the  pre  valence  ot 
the  hot  winds,  especially  when,  as  happens  in  midsummer,  the  thermome- 
ter reads  higher  at  night  than  in  the  day-time.  At  Nowshera,  in  1867,  the 
condition  of  the  troops  is  described  as  "  gasping  for  breath.  There  was 
a  peculiar  feeling  of  weight  on  the  chest,  even  in  the  apparently  healthy ; 
and  after  every  20  inspirations,  or  thereabout,  a  strong  and  convulsive 
effort  was  necessary  to  inflate  the  lungs.  *  *  *  When  the  cause, 
viz.,  prolonged  high  temperature,  was  removed,  an  almost  instantaneous 
return  to  health  (in  cases  of  insolation)  was  the  result."  (British  Army 
Med.  Dept.  Report  for  1868,  Appendix  No.  X,  pp.  296,  297,  by  Asst. 
Surg.  Staples,  19th  Regt.) 

"  In  the  same  way  that  we  cannot  endure  either  constant  dryness  or 
dampness,  so  we  cannot  endure  a  very  constant  state  of  the  barometer 
without  suffering  in  our  breathing  or  nerves.  In  fact,  there  is  little 


NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO.       9 

doubt  that  rapid  changes  of  the  barometer  are  more  favorable  for  the 
more  important  functions  of  life  than  its  relative  stability ;  and  this 
probably  explains  in  a  measure  the  value  of  both  mountain  and  sea  air." 
It  also  explains  the  benefit  experienced  frequently  by  confirmed  invalids 
in  a  change  from  inland  to  sea- shore,  or  from  mountain  to  sea-level,  or 
vice  cersa. 

Dr.  Holland,  in  his  "  Medical  Notes  and  Reflections,"  expresses  the 
opinion  "  that  the  action  of  different  degrees  of  atmospheric  pressure  in 
disturbing  the  bodily  functions  and  general  health  is  rather  derived  from 
the  frequency  of  fluctuation  than  from  any  state  long  continued  either 
above  or  below  the  average  standard ;  that  of  the  two  conditions,  sud- 
denly incurred,  the  human  frame  isbetter  capable  of  withstanding  a  rarefied 
than  a  condensed  atmosphere;  and  that,  in  either  case,  the  previous 
health  and  proneness  to  disorder  in  particular  organs  are  greatly  con- 
cerned in  determining  the  results  on  the  body." 

He  supports  some  of  these  views  from  the  fact  that  "  there  are  in- 
habited places  in  America,  such  as  the  town  of  Potosi,  at  an  elevation 
of  more  than  13,000  feet,  the  inhabitants  of  which  seem  to  have  tolerable 
health."  (Medical  Times  and  Gazette,  London,  September  9,  1876,  p. 
299.) 

At  all  elevated  places  the  diurnal  variations,  barometric  and  ther- 
mouietric,  are  sufficiently  great  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  economy  for 
change,  and  these  are  augmented  agreeably,  and  changed  again,  with 
the  months  and  seasons  as  they  come.  At  the  same  time  the  extremes 
of  temperature  are  not  experienced  in  high  as  in  low  altitudes ;  cer- 
tainly the  mountains  are  devoid  of  the  in  tense  heat  of  other  more  northern 
but  lower  localities. 

The  annual  range  of  the  thermometer  at  some  places  otherwise 
favorable  becomes  too  excessive  to  be  compatible  with  health  in  weak 
constitutions.  At  some  low  places  the  long  continuance  of  summer- 
heat  debilitates  so  greatly  that  months  pass  before  normal  vigor  is 
regained.  Extreme  heat  of  long  continuance  involves  even  fatal  pros- 
tration in  a  very  few  hours  when  the  action  of  the  skin  is  suspended, 
(insolation ;)  and  this  may  occur  in  localities  where,  in  a  few  months, 
an  almost  Arctic  rigor  is  experienced.  We  fail  to  find  in  the  mountains 
such  experiences  or  such  results ;  on  the  contrary,  the  air  is  invigorat- 
ing and  bracing  at  all  seasons  under  conditions  that  prevail  elsewhere, 
and  not  involving  extreme  exposure. 

The  contrast  is  particularly  noticeable  in  India  between  the  low  plains 
and  the  hill  stations. 

We  find  the  Savoyard,  the  Swiss,  and  the  residents  of  mountains 
generally,  of  our  time,  as  hardy  as  the  mountaineers  of  history.  They 
do  not  degenerate  at  home,  nor  until  they  migrate  to  the  lowlands. 
The  inhabitants  of  Georgia,  Circassia,  and  Cashmere,  and  the  hill  tribes 
of  India  are  a  superior  race.  The  Arabs  and  Abyssiuians  on  the  elevated 
lands  of  the  desert  and  on  the  sides  of  the  mountains  from  which  the 


10     NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO. 

Nile  descends  present  a  striking  superiority  over  the  people  of  lower 
Egypt.  Their  fiery  life,  love  of  liberty,  and  warlike  genius  place  them 
immeasurably  above  the  "  Fellahs."  The  recent  war  against  the  Abys- 
siniaus  has  demonstrated  anew  the  vigor  and  valor  of  their  race. 

The  human  race  has  not  only  degenerated  by  dwelling  in  low,  un- 
healthy places,  but  it  is  again  and  again  decimated  by  the  pestilences 
generated  in  them.  In  the  language  of  Dr.  Farr,  "  it  is  destroyed  now 
periodically  by  five  pestilences — cholera,  remittent  fever,  yellow  fever, 
glandular  plague,  and  influenza.  The  origin  or  chief  seat  of  the  first  is 
the. Delta  of  the  Ganges.  Of  the  second,  the  African  and  other  tropical 
coasts.  Of  the  third,  the  low  west  coast  around  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  or 
the  Delta  of  the  Mississippi,  and  the  West  India  Islands.  Of  the  fourth, 
the  Delta  of  the  Nile  and  the  low  sea-side  of  cities  of  the  Mediterranean. 
Of  the  generating  field  of  influenza  nothing  certain  is  known ;  but 
*  *  *  the  four  great  pestilential  diseases — cholera,  yellow  fever,  re- 
mittent fever,  and  plague — have  this  property  in  common :  that  they 
begin  and  are  most  fatal  in  low  grounds ;  that  their  fatality  diminishes 
in  ascending  the  rivers  and  is  inconsiderable  around  the  river  sources, 
except  under  such  peculiar  circumstances  as  are  met  with  at  Erzeroum, 
where  the  features  of  a  marshy  sea-side  city  are  seen  at  the  foot  of 

the  mountain  chain  of  Ararat.     Safety  is  found  in  flight  to  the  hills." 

*  *  *  *  #  #  * 

In  treating  upon  the  u  salubrity  of  high  places,"  he  refers  to  the  influ- 
ence of  locality  on  race,  of  the  sanitary  instinct,  the  effect  of  the  high 
land,  and  the  sight  of  the  hills  on  the  energies  of  the  sick,  the  longevity 
of  the  inhabitants  of  various  places,  the  effect  of  healthy  places  on  the 
breed  of  animals,  the  degeneration  of  race  in  unhealthy  places,  the  time 
required  to  produce  degeneration  and  degradation  of  race. 

It  is,  perhaps,  well  for  us,  as  individuals,  to  revert  to  such  historic 
facts  as  he  presents  in  terms  of  classic  elegance,  and  it  is,  I  trust,  cog- 
nate to  the  subject  we  have  in  hand.  "  As  the  power  of  the  Egyptians 
descended  from  the  Thebaid  to  Memphis,  from  Memphis  to  Sais,  they 
gradually  degenerated,  notwithstanding  the  elevation  of  their  towns 
above  the  high  waters  of  the  Nile,  their  hygienic  laws  and  the  hydro, 
graphical  and  other  sanitary  arrangements  which  made  the  country 
renowned,  justly  or  unjustly,  for  its  salubrity  in  the  days  of  Heroditus, 
the  poison  of  the  Delta  in  every  time  of  weakness  and  successful  inva- 
sion gradually  gained  the  ascendancy,  and  as  the  cities  declined  the 
canals  and  the  embalmments  of  the  dead  were  neglected,  the  plague 
gained  ground.  The  people,  subjugated  by  Persians,  Greeks,  Romans, 
Turks,  Mamelukes,  became  what  they  have  been  for  centuries,  and  what 
they  are  in  the  present  day.  Every  race  that  settled  in  the  Delta  de- 
generated and  was  only  sustained  by  immigration.  So,  likewise,  the 
populations  on  the  sites  of  all  the  city-states  of  antiquity,  on  the  coast 
of  Syria,  Asia  Minor,  Africa,  Italy,  seated  like  the  people  of  Home  on 
low  ground  under  the  ruin-clad  hills  of  their  ancestors,  within  reach  of 


NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO.     11 

fever  and  plague,  are  enervated  and  debased  apparently  beyond  redemp- 
tion. 

"  The  history  of  the  nations  on  the  Mediterranean,  on  the  plains  of  the 
Euphrates  and  the  Tigris,  the  deltas  of  the  Indus  and  Ganges,  and  the 
rivers  of  China,  exhibit  this  great  fact :  The  gradual  descent  of  races 
from  the  highlands,  their  establishment  on  the  coasts  in  cities  sustained 
and  refreshed  fora  season  by  immigration  from  the  interior,  their  degra- 
dation in  successive  generations  under  the  influence  of  the  unhealthy 
earth,  and  their  final  ruin,  eflacement,  or  subjugation  by  new  races  of 
conquerors.  The  causes  that  destroy  individual  men  lay  cities  waste, 
which,  in  their  nature,  are  immortal,  and  silently  undermine  eternal 
empires. 

"On  the  highlands  men  feel  the  loftiest  emotions.  Every  tradition 
places  their  origin  there.  The  first  nations  worshipped  there.  High  on 
the  Indian  Caucasus,  on  Olympus,  and  on  other  lofty  mountains  the 
Indians  and  the  Greeks  imagined  the  abodes  of  their  highest  gods,  while 
they  peopled  the  low  underground  regions,  the  grave-land  of  mortality, 
with  infernal  deities.  Their  myths  have  a  deep  signification.  Man  feels 
his  immortality  in  the  hills."  (Page  xciv,  Report  of  William  Farr, 
esq.,  to  the  Registrar-General  of  England.  London,  1852. 

The  climate  of  Kansas,  so  far  as  my  experience  of  it  may  warrant  an 
opinion— and  I  have  served  there  in  1849,  1857,  1858,  1873,  1874,  1875— 
is  not  favorable  to  pulmonary  invalids.  They  should  go  out  on  the  plains 
and  gradually  work  their  way  to  the  mountains.  Neither  can  I  recommend 
Texas,  unless  it  may  be  the  region  near  San  Antonio,  which  is  said  to  be- 
favorable.  San  Antonio  is,  however,  liable  to  choleraic  visitations,  and, 
being  a  limestone  region,  the  fatality  is  extreme.  I  have  seen  pulmonary 
invalids  visit  New  Orleans  and  very  rapidly  decline,  I  suppose  on  account 
of  the  excessive  humidity. 

Of  Colorado  I  have  no  experience.  It  resembles  the  climate  of  New 
Mexico,  but  is  to  the  north  of  it,  and  may  be  inclement. 

Of  New  Mexico  there  are  certain  features  worthy  of  consideration  by 
invalids  and  their  advisers. 

I.  The  dryness  of  the  atmosphere  associated  with  elevation  above  sea- 
level  to  be  found  at  any  elevation  desired,  in  localities  ranging  from 
3,600  to  8,000  feet. 

The  dryness  of  all  mountain  regions  is  acknowledged.  The  range 
of  mountains  in  Colorado  has  this  excellence  in  common  with  those  of 
New  Mexico. 

By  reference  to  the  report  of  the  Chief  Signal-Officer  of  the  Army  for 
January,  1875,  it  will  be  perceived  that  the  percentages  of  relative  hu- 
midity for  the  different  districts  average  as  follows  :  New  England,  73 
per  cent. ;  Middle  Atlantic  States,  74 ;  South  Atlantic  States,  79 ;  Gulf 
States,  82;  Lower  Lake  region,  79;  Upper  Lake  region,  70;  Ohio  Val- 
ley, Tennessee,  and  the  Northwest,  73.  As  usual,  the  mean  relative 
humidity  has  been  lowest  at  the  Rocky  Mountain  stations,  amounting 


12     NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO. 

to  .56  at  Denver  and  .51  at  Santa  Fe.  In  the  report  for  July,  1874,  p.  271, 
he  remarks :  "  The  relative  humidity  has  averaged  on  the  Gulf  and 
South  and  East  Atlantic  States  75 ;  New  Jersey  coast,  85 ;  in  the  Lake 
region,  68 ;  Lower  Mississippi  Valley,  70 ;  in  the  Tennessee  and  the  Ohio 
and  Upper  Mississippi  Valleys,  62  ;  in  the  Lower  Missouri  Valley,  58  ;  at 
the  Rocky  Mountain  stations,  41."  I  extract  from  his  report  as  of 
interest  the  following  data  : 

SANTA  FE\  X.  MEX. 
Maximum   August  2,  1874,  89°  F. ;  minimum,  February  24,  1875.  2°  F. 


1674. 


1675. 


July.    Aug.    Sept.     Oct. 

Xov 

Dec.    Jau. 

Feb. 

Mar. 

Apr.    May. 

June. 

Range  

o            o            o      1      o 
36         40       i  45         52 

o 
42 

o 
55         45 

o 
54 

0 

63 

0 

65         A  M 

0 

50 

Monthly  means 

71.  1      69.  9  i  60.6      5-2.  3 

38.7 

29.  2     28.  1 

31.  4 

34  4 

47  4     59  2 

67  9 

Rain-fall  in  inches    

3.  92     1.  731     1.  42J     2.  47 

0.  5> 

2.  26     0.  6; 

0.72 

1.37 

0.  3  J      0  *•* 

0.33 

Rain-fall,  annual  amount,  16.68  inches. 


DENVER,  COLO. 
Maximum,  July  4,  1874,  102=  F. ;  minimum.  January  9,  1875,  29°  F. 


1875. 


July. 

Aug. 

Sept.    Oct.     Xov. 

Dec.    Jan.     Feb. 

Mar. 

Apr.    May. 

June. 

Range  

0 

51 

0 

45.3 

o      !      o 
57.  4      70         64 

c            - 
76         84         67 

o 
72 

o 
69         52 

o 

» 

Monthly  means 

76  1 

73 

59         52  9      42  2 

29  7      16  8     32  3 

33  4 

44  5     60  2 

70  4 

Rain-fall  in  inches  

3.3; 

0.6- 

1.  34      0.  64      0.  OS 

U.  17      3.  38      0.  6( 

0.39 

2.  24      1.  94 

0.43 

Rain-fall,  annual,  amount,  15.24  inches. 

COLORADO  SPRINGS,  COLO. 

Maximum,  July  11,  1874,  98°  F. ;  minimum.  January  13.  1875.  25=  F. 
Maximum  thermometer  broken  ;  rain-fall,  annual  amount  15.24  inches. 

SALT  LAKE  CITY,  UTAH. 
Maximum,  July  1,2,  and  3,  1874,  98°  F.;  minimum,  January  16,  1875,  5-  F. 


1871 


July- 

Autf.   Sept. 

Oct. 

Xov. 

Dec. 

Jan. 

Feb. 

Mar.    Apr. 

May.   June. 

Range  42 

o 
38         49 

o 
51 

o 
34 

o 
43 

o 
46 

o 
39 

o 
51         60 

o           o 
56         56 

Monthly  means  782 

74  7     62  6 

55  0 

43  4 

33 

2Q  4 

33  7 

35  2     50  3 

60  1     69  1 

Rain-fall  in  inches  2.  42 

1.  03     0.  20 

i 

L« 

2.  If 

0.73 

3.05 

0.79 

2.  81      1.  50 

2.  91      0.  90 

1675. 


Rain-fall,  annual  amount.  20.24  inches. 


NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO.     13 


SAX  FRANCISCO,  CAL. 
Maximum,  September  14,  1874,  89°  F.    Minimum,  December  26,  1875,  4(P  F. 


18' 

-4. 

18 

?5. 

July. 

Aug.    Sept. 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Dec. 

Jan. 

Feb. 

Mar. 

Apr. 

May. 

June. 

Rain  -fall  in  inches    

0.00 

0.  00     0.  02 

2.69 

7.  53 

0.33 

8.01 

0.32 

1.3C 

0.  1( 

0.22 

1.02 

' 

Rain-fall,  annual  amount,  21.54  inches. 


GALVESTOX,  TEX. 


18 

74. 

18 

75. 

J«iy. 

Aug. 

Sept. 

I 
Oct.     Xov. 

Dec. 

Jan. 

Feb. 

Mar. 

Apr. 

May. 

June. 

Rain-fall  in  inches  

9.31 

7.19 

6.84 

0.  1-2      1.  58 

6.92 

4.31 

2.94 

3.51 

2.55 

1.50 

0.89 

Rain-fall,  annual  amount,  46.66  inches. 

XEW  ORLEAXS,  LA. 


18 

74. 

18' 

r5. 

July. 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Xov. 

Dec. 

Jan. 

Feb. 

Mar. 

Apr. 

May. 

June. 

Rain-fall  in  inches  

12.93 

4.82 

4.21 



1.12 

3.27 

8.44 

13.85 

10.84 

8.05 

2.51 

4.92 

Rain-fall,  annual  amount,  74.98  inches. 

He  remarks  for  June,  1875,  as  to  relative  humidity  :  "  This  element 
averages  SO  percent,  for  the  immediate  coast  of  New  Jersey  and  New 
England,  and  75  per  cent,  on  the  South  Atlantic  coast.  Elsewhere,  over 
nearly  the  entire  country  east  of  the  western  plains,  the  average  is  from 
65  to  70  per  cent.  It  is,  as  usual,  very  low  at  the  Eocky  Mountain 
stations,  being  33  per  cent,  at  Cheyenne,  29  at  Salt  Lake  City,  and  28 
at  Denver." 

The  rain-fall  in  inches  for  June,  1875,  was,  for  Santa  Fe,  0.33 ;  for  Den- 
ver, 0.43 ;  Salt  Lake  City,  0.90 ;  and  the  annual  amount  of  rain-fall  for 
the  same  places  is  reported  at  16.68,  15.24,  and  20.24,  respectively.  For 
San  Francisco,  Cal.,  it  was  21.54;  for  Gal veston,  Tex.,  46.66 ;  and  for 
New  Orleans,  74.98  inches. 

NEW  MEXICO. 

The  dryuess  of  this  atmosphere  is  proverbial.  The  lauds  are  culti- 
vated entirely  by  irrigation,  and  have  been  so  for  centuries.  The  tra- 
dition among  the  Pueblo  Indians,  as  given  by  Hosti,  is  that,  the  rain 
falling  less  and  less,  the  people  emigrated  to  the  southward  long  before 
the  Spaniards  arrived  in  the  country,  (the  visit  of  Coronado  was  made 
about  1542,)  being  led  by  Montezuma,  a  powerful  man,  who  was  born  in 


14     NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO. 

Pecos  and  had  settled  with  the  Pueblos  on  the  Rio  San  Juan.  Montezuina 
was  to  return  and  lead  the  rest  of  the  Pueblos  also  to  the  south,  but  he 
failed  to  come  back.  *  *  This  whole  tradition  accords  well  with  an- 
other held  by  the  Aztecs,  in  old  Mexico,  when  Cortez  entered  the  country 
of  Anahuac,  namely,  that  their  forefathers  came  (most  probably  at  the 
end  of  the  twelfth  century)  from  the  north.  (Dr.  Oscar  Loew's  report 
on  "  Euins  in  New  Mexico.")  It  is  probable  that  the  climate  has  be- 
come progressively  more  dry  as  time  has  elapsed,  from  evidences  of 
former  cultivation  which  would  be  now  impossible.  At  Quivira,  Dr. 
Loew  says,  "  when  Corouado  visited  this  province  it  was,  as  he  de- 
scribed it,  very  fertile;  at  present  it  resembles  a  desert." 

At  similar  elevations  in  other  countries  the  snow  would  accumulate 
and  form  glaciers  upon  the  mountains,  whence  an  ample  river-supply 
of  water  would  continue  all  the  summer.  Nothing  like  this  occurs  here, 
and  the  extremely  rapid  evaporation  in  this  dry  air  may  help  to  account 
for  the  difference. 

II.  Yery  soon  after  my  arrival  in  Xew  Mexico,  in  October,  1875, 1  be- 
came aware  of  unusual  electrical  disturbances  around  me.  Severe  shocks 
were  experienced  on  touching  garments  of  wool  or  cotton  that  had  just 
been  taken  off,  and  if  at  night,  vivid  sparks  of  electricity  and  a  trail- 
ing line  of  light  would  follow  the  fingers  when  passed  over  them.  The 
shaking  of  clothing,  to  free  it  from  dust,  or  friction  with  the  fingers 
over  a  sheet,  would  have  the  same  effect.  Upon  inquiry  I  found  others 
also  sensible  of  a  highly  electrical  condition  here.  The  telegraph  was 
disturbed  in  its  operations  by  excess  of  atmospheric  electricity,  and  on 
inquiry  of  Mr.  Gough,  the  agent  of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Line, 
he  was  happily  able  to  confirm  my  impressions  from  a  very  extended 
experience.  The  subject  became  one  of  almost  daily  inquiry  between 
us  since  July  18,  1876 ;  and  at  my  request  he  has  furnished  me  a  writ- 
ten statement,  to  which  I  invite  special  attention. 

"  OFFICE  OF  WESTERN  UNION  TELEGRAPH  COMPANY, 

"  HEADQUARTERS  DISTRICT  OF  ]S~E\v  MEXICO, 

"  Santa  Fe,  N.  Mex.,  December  12,  1876. 
"  To  General  T.  A.  McPARLiN, 

"  Surgeon,  U.  8.  A.  : 

44  DEAR  SIR  :  In  reply  to  your  question  as  to  whether  I  have  noticed 
any  unusual  electrical  disturbances  on  the  telegraph-lines  in  this  region, 
I  would  respectfully  state  that  I  have  noticed  such  disturbances,  and 
that  in  character  and  frequency  they  are  very  remarkable,  and  really 
astonishing,  and  such  as  in  a  seventeen  years1  experience  I  have  noticed 
on  no  other  lines. 

u  From  about  the  middle  of  April  until  about  the  middle  of  October, 
between  the  hours  of  10  a.  in.  and  o  p.  in.,  these  disturbances  are  most 
frequent,  and  render  the  working  of  the  line  almost  impossible. 


NOTES    ON   THE    HISTORY   AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW   MEXICO.     15 

"  On  my  operating-table  I  have  a  galvanometer.  The  regular  battery 
or  artificial  current  on  the  wire  deflects  the  needle  from  the  north  to  east 
60°  to  65° — a  steady,  uniform  deflection.  During  these  electrical  pheno- 
mena the  needle  commences  to  become  unsteady,  pointing  10, 30, 50, 70,  and 
90  degrees  east.  The  flow  will  increase  to  such  tremendous  quantity  that 
I  have  frequently  opened  my  key  an  eighth  of  an  inch,  (which  is  equiva- 
lent to  breaking  the  wire  and  separating  the  two  ends  by  that  distance,) 
when  the  flow  of  electricity  would  pass  from  point  to  point  with  a  buzzing 
sound  and  an  intensely  brilliant  flame,  sometimes  of  a  blue,  sometimes  of 
a  purplish  color,  and  as  large  nearly  as  a  candle-flame.  At  such  times  I 
have  placed  tissue-paper  between  the  points,  when  it  would  instantly 
commence  to  blaze.  Thick,  heavy  writing-paper  would  be  burned  com- 
pletely through,  but  would  not  blaze.  These  heavy  flows  will  sometimes 
continue  for  hours  with  but  little  variation,  at  others  in  one  instant  the 
flow  ceases  entirely ;  the  needle  of  the  galvanometer  drops  down  to  zero; 
remaining  so  for  an  instant,  it  will  fly  back  to  80  or  90,  drop  down  to  10, 
20,  50 ;  the  next  instant  the  whole  artificial  or  battery  current  is  neutral- 
ized (so  to  speak)  by  a  tremendous  flow  of  an  apparently  different  polar- 
ization, as  the  needle  before  deflected  to  the  east  now  flows  round  to  70, 
80,  or  90  degrees  to  the  west ;  the  next  90  to  the  east,  again  at  zero, 
and  thus  never  steady  for  more  than  a  few  seconds  at  any  point.  I 
have  frequently  taken  off  all  the  artificial  batteries  entirely,  and  no  per- 
ceptible difference  could  be  noticed ;  at  one  moment  there  would  be  so 
much  electricity  that  in  trying  to  work  the  line  it  would  fuse  the  platina 
points  of  the  key,  and  in  the  next  instant  not  a  particle ;  and  at  no 
time,  either  with  or  without  the  artificial  batteries,  would  the  current 
be  steady  long  enough  to  obtain  intelligible  signals  over  the  wire. 
"  Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOSEPH  M.  GO  UGH, 
"  Manager  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company." 

Eeferring  to  the  Signal  Service  Eeports  last  published,  I  found  in  the 
Monthly  Eeports  of  Weather  for  July,  1874,  and  August,  1874,  electri- 
cal phenomena  of  special  interest  as  connected  with  the  summit  of  Pike's* 
Peak,  and  for  January,  1875,  atmospheric  electricity  generally  com- 
mented upon  ;  and  a  special  extract  referring  to  an  extraordinary  elec- 
trical storm  observed  at  Santa  Fe,  which  I  have  extracted  as  of  special 
interest  in  connection  with  the  subject  of  electrical  disturbances  and  dis- 
tribution in  this  and  other  mountain  regions.  Facts  like  these  should 
be  collated  and  fully  considered  if  it  be  determined  by  experience  that 
atmospheric  electricity  exerts  an  iDfluence  upon  development  of  health 
or  disease. 

Extracts  from  Report  of  Chief  Signal- Officer  for  1875. 

ELECTRICAL  PHENOMENA. 

u  The  local  storms  previously  referred  to  were  in  many  instances  ac- 
coir.panipd  by  vivid  displays  of  lightning.  The  most  remarkable  series 


16     NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO. 

of  thunder-storms  occurred  at  the  summit  of  Pike's  Peak  from  the  14th 
to  the  25th,  during  which  the  electrical  effect  was  so  intense  as  to  inter- 
rupt telegraphic  communication  with  that  station.  The  observer  reports 
that  sharp  peculiar  sounds  were  emitted  from  all  pointed  objects,  and 
that  painful  sensations  were  experienced  in  the  hands  and  face. 

"  A  brilliant  display  of  ball-lightning  was  observed  at  Denver  .July 
21,  the  ball  exploding  in  full  view  and  the  fragments  re-exploding  as  they 
reached  the  earth.  This  phenomenon  was  also  observed  at  Keokuk, 
Iowa,  on  the  16th. 

"  Ground-currents  interfered  with  the  working  of  the  telegraph-line 
at  Sandy  Hook  on  the  4th,  llth,  and  16th."  (Page  272,  Monthly  Weather 
Review,  report  for  July,  1874.) 

"  In  addition  to  thunder-storms  spoken  of  under  previous  headings, 
there  were  strong  ground-currents  on  the  telegraph-line  connecting  Col- 
orado Springs  with  the  summit  of  Pike's  Peak,  Colo.,  on  the  evening 
of  the  1st.  Frequent  lightning  was  observed  on  the  same  line  during 
the  month.  On  the  3d  heavy  snow  accompanied  a  heavy  thunder-storm 
on  Pike's  Peak,  from  which  station  thunder-storms  are  reported  as  hav- 
ing occurred  almost  daily.  Thunder  or  lightning,  or  both,  were  more 
frequent  in  the  Southern  and  Western  States,  especially  the  latter,  than 
in  other  stations."  (Page  276,  Monthly  Weather  Review,  report  for 
August,  1874.) 

ATMOSPHERIC  ELECTRICITY. 

"  Thunder-storms  are  reported  as  having  occurred  mostly  in  the  South- 
ern States  and  during  the  passage  of  general  storms,  viz  : 

"  On  the  7th  in  Georgia  and  Florida ;  on  the  21st  in  Georgia,  North 
Carolina,  Tennessee, -Mississippi,  and  Texas;  on  the  22d  in  Georgia, 
Alabama,  Mississippi,  Louisiana,  and  Texas ;  on  the  24th  in  Alabama, 
Mississippi,  Louisiana,  and  North  Carolina;  on  the  27th  in  Louisiana, 
Indian  Territory,  and  Texas  ;  on  the  29th  in  Georgia  and  Alabama." 

The  following  extract  is  made  from  the  observer's  report  at  Santa  F6, 
New  Mexico : 

"January  15,  extraordinary  electrical  storm  on  (telegraph)  line ; 
noticed  first  at  12  m.,  and  lasted  until  3  p.  m.  The  current  was  so  strong 
the  line  could  not  be  worked.  The  key  was  left  open,  and  most  of  the 
line  was  surrounded  by  a  ring  of  fire.  It  was  during  the  passage  of  low 
barometer  that  this  happened."  (Page  301,  Monthly  Weather  Review 
for  January,  1875.)  * 

*  By  an  examination  of  the  appended  papers  it  will  be  noticed  that  the  military  tele- 
graph-line extending  from  Denver  to  Santa  F6  and  thence  southward  to  Silver  City 
•was  disturbed  by  atmospheric  electricity  from  July  18  to  December  31, 1876 — deducting 
Sundays,  when  no  continuous  observations  were  made — 10  times  on  the  northern  line, 
14  on  the  southern  line,  and  22  on  both  lines  out  of  Santa  F6 ;  46  days  of  disturbance 
out  of  147  days'  observations.  No  record  was  made  of  disturbances  anterior  to  July 
18,  1876. 

In  the  year  the  wind  traveled  at  a  rate  amounting  to  67,996  miles,  being  southwest 
over  one-half  the  time  and  northeast  or  north  about  one-fourth  the  time.  One  hundred 


NOTES    ON    THE    HI3TORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO.     17 

The  earth  is  a  good  conductor,  and  the  "common  reservoir"  of  electricity 
dry  air  is  a  good  insulator ;  but  when  the  air  contains  moisture  it  con- 
ducts electricity,  and  this,  says  Ganot,  (page  610,  Elementary  Treatise 
on  Physics,  New  York,  1869,)  is  the  principal  source  of  the  loss  of  elec- 
tricity. In  the  same  way  that  metals  do  not  become  electrified  by  fric- 
tion on  account  of  their  great  conductivity,  animals  do  not  exhibit  this 
property  in  a  marked  degree  until  comparatively  insulated  by  a  dry  at- 
mosphere. Animal  bodies  daily  retaining,  for  any  prolonged  period,  a 
greater  store  of  electricity,  or  using  up  this  electricity  as  a  force,  may 
be  materially  different  from  what  they  would  be  in  a  humid  environment. 

The  electric  tension  and  density  of  a  metallic  sphere  is  found  to  be 
uniform  over  its  surface.  On  an  elongated  ellipsoid  it  accumulates 
at  the  most  acute  points,  and  the  upheared  masses  of  mountains  would 
appear  to  us  favorable  points  for  a  special  distribution  of  electric  force. 

It  is  much  to  be  desired  that  observations  as  to  the  amount  of  ozone, 
of  humidity,  and  atmospheric  electricity  be  more  generally  made  in  the 
interest  of  those  seeking  for  climatic  relief  and  to  furnish  data  for  our 
guidance. 

I  have  the  impression  that  a  moderate  altitude  should  first  be  sought, 
and,  as  convalescence  and  vigor  are  assured,  a  higher  and  more  bracing 
air  could  be  borne  with  benefit. 

In  this  country  the  statistician  is  at  a  disadvantage ;  there  are  no 
boards  of  health,  no  registration  of  diseases. 

The  rector  of  the  cathedral  has  been  kind  enough  to  give  me  the  sta. 
tistics  of  deaths  among  the  Catholic  population  of  the  parish  of  Santa 
Fe"  from  1869  to  December  14,  1876,  amounting  to  1,005  deaths  in  eight 
years  in  a  parish  estimated  between  7,000  and  8,000.  From  this  I  esti- 
mate the  average  yearly  death-rate,  125,  being  about  one  death  to  60 
Catholic  population,  a  mortality  of  16  per  1,000  in  the  parish. 

Of  the  death-rate  in  the  Territory  I  have  no  information.  Dr.  Lewis 
Kennon,  (of  Fort  Selden,)  as  quoted  by  Mr.  Brevoort,  says:  "The  lowest 
death-rate  from  tubercular  diseases  is  in  New  Mexico." 

"The  censuses  of  1860  and  1870  give  25  per  cent,  in  New  England,  14 
in  Minnesota,  from  5  to  6  in  different  Southern  States,  and  3  per  cent,  in 
New  Mexico."  (New  Mexico,  by  Elias  Brevoort,  1874,  p.  27.) 

Dr.  Symington  informs  me  that,  in  a  residence  of  eight  years  in  this 
Territory,  he  has  seen  but  two  cases  of  phthisis  among  natives,  and 
they  were  young  persons. 

In  Switzerland  (according  to  Dr.  Lombard,  of  Geneva,  Gazette  des 
Hospitaux,  of  October  26,  1876 ;  London  Medical  Times  and  Gazette, 

and  iiiiie  days  were  moist  for  a  while  from  rain  or  snow.  It  is  proper,  however,  to  remark 
that  in  the  rainy  or  wet  season  of  the  year  sunshine  and  clear  skies  are  noticed  every 
day,  the  rain  coming  in  showers.  The  whole  amount  of  humidity  was  only  15.06  inches 
for  the  year ;  maximum  velocity  of  wind,  38  miles  per  hour. 

I  take  pleasure  in  acknowledging  the  prompt  facilities  extended  to  me  by  the  United 
States  signal  and  military  telegraph  services  in  furnishing  information  and  data  as  to 
observations  made  by  them. 


18     NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO. 

November  11, 1876,  p.  552)  the  mean  mortality  resulting  from  phthisis 
pulmonalis  is  77  per  1,000  deaths,  being  a  much  lower  proportion  than 
most  of  the  countries  of  Europe.  Thus  in  Belgium  this  varies  from  168  to 
198,  and  in  England  is  124.  *  *  *  Two  influences  are  brought  into 
view  by  Dr.  Lombard's  investigations,  viz:  The  deleterious  effects  of  in- 
dustrial occupations  as  compared  to  agricultural,  and  the  benefit  of  high 
altitudes,  cases  of  phthisis  being  less  frequent  in  proportion  to  the  height 
attained,  so  that  it  entirely  disappears  in  high  valleys. 

The  Medical  Statistics  United  States  Army — Abstract  of  Principal 
Diseases — show  a  total  of  8  cases  (3  deaths)  in  an  average  mean  strength 
of  5,873  troops,  from  phthisis  pulmonalis,  in  the  six  years  from  1849  to 
1854.  For  the  same  period,  in  diseases  of  the  respiratory  system,  "New 
York,  New  England,  and  the  region  about  the  great  lakes  exhibit  the 
largest  ratios  5  arid  Florida,  Texas,  and  New  Mexico  the  smallest,  being, 
in  the  ratio  of  cases  per  1,000  of  mean  strength,  New  England,  4.8; 
New  York  harbor,  5.9;  great  lakes,  4.5;  Atlantic  coast  of  Florida,  2.3  ; 
Gulf  coast  of  Florida,  6.9 ;  Texas  southern  frontier,  4.00 ;  western 
frontier  of  Texas,  3.9;  New  Mexico,  1.3."  The  conclusions  of  Dr.  E.  H. 
Coolidge,  U.  S.  A.,  the  compiler,  (Medical  Statistics  United  States 
Army,)  are,  I  believe,  accepted  to-day:  "  1st.  That  temperature,  consid- 
ered by  itself,  does  not  exert  that  marked  controlling  influence  upon 
the  development  or  progress  of  phthisis  which  has  been  attributed  to 
it.  *  *  2d.  That  the  most  important  atmospherical  condition  for 
a  consumptive  is  dryness.  *  *  3d.  That  next  to  dry  ness  in  im- 
portance is  an  agreeable  temperature — a  temperature  uniform  for  long 
periods,  and  not  disturbed  by  sudden  or  frequent  changes.  *  *  A 
uniformly  low  temperature  is  much  to  be  preferred  to  a  uniformly  high 
temperature.  The  former  exerts  a  tonic  and  stimulating  effect  upon 
the  general  system,  while  the  latter  produces  general  debility  and  nerv- 
ous exhaustion.  The  worst  possible  climate  for  a  consumptive  is  one 
with  a  long-continued  high  temperature  and  a  high  dew-point." 

Confirmatory  of  all  this,  and  the  fact  that  "New  Mexico  is  by  far  the 
most  favorable  residence  in  the  United  States  for  those  predisposed  to 
or  affected  with  phthisis,"  may  be  consulted  the  testimony  and  experi- 
ence of  several  medical  officers  of  the  United  States  Army.  (Quoted 
in  Hammond's  Hygiene,  p.  280.) 

An  examination  of  the  sickness  and  mortality  tables  of  the  troops 
serving  in  New  Mexico  from  1861  to  1865,  published  in  the  Medical  and 
Surgical  History  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  Part  I,  Washington, 
1870,  pp.  138,  280,  436,  and  588,  Order  Y,  Diseases  of  the  Respiratory 
Organs,  shows  the  following  cases  : 


NOTES    ON    THE    HI8TORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO.     19 


Diseases. 

1861-'62. 

1862-'63. 

1863-'64. 

1864-'65. 

Total 
cases. 

Deaths. 

Asthma 

4 

16 

8 

28 

24 

156 

139 

158 

477 

3 

5 

13 

30 

51 

1 

Catarrh 

353 

353 

1 

2 

4 

7 

1 

3 

4 

6 

6 

19 

1 

1 

1 

5 

12 

31 

58 

106 

4 

Inflammation  of  the  pleura    -.. 

23 

'      28 

61 

38 

150 

3 

39 

78 

63 

106 

286 

37 

Other  diseases  of  respiratory  organs  

9 

109 

103 

39 

260 

2 

Total  of  respiratory  orgaus 

461 

398 

437 

443 

1,739 

49 

6  956 

9  144 

8  066 

7  245 

31  411 

Total  deaths  all  kinds 

72 

52 

74 

90 

288 

3  460 

3  762 

4  224 

3  866 

Aggregate 15,  312 


CLASS  II.—  ORDEB  II. 

Tubercular  diseases. 

10 

13 

8 

10 

41 

8 

List  of  cases  of  consumption  and  of  diseases  of  the  respiratory  organs  treated  during  the  ten 
years  from  January  1,  1867,  to  December  31,  1876,  at  Santa  Fe,  N.  Hex. 


Diseases. 

1867. 

1868. 

1869. 

1870. 

1871. 

1872. 

1873. 

1874. 

1875. 

1876. 

Total 
cases. 

Deaths. 

1 

1 

2 

Catarrh 

4 

1 

4 

15 

3 

10 

34 

35 

102 

3 

9 

1 

13 

1 

1 

1 



1 

1 

1 

1 

2 

5 

2 

1 

1 

2 

Total  respiratory 
organs 

8 

9 

1 

1 

4 

18 

4 

10 

37 

38 

126 

2 

1 

1 

2 

2 

• 

88 

70 

80 

71 

76 

82 

75 

90 

95 

94 

Aggregate . 


821 


Many  persons  do  well  at  home  in  summer  who  need  in  winter  a  milder 
climate. 

Europeans  are  wont  to  seek  Naples,  Malaga,  Egypt,  Algiers,  Koine, 
Florence,  Mentone,  or  the  West  Indies.  Eecently  the  west  coast  of  Ire- 
laud,  made  warm  by  the  influence  of  the  Gulf  Stream,  has  been  recom- 
mended. For  patients  threatened  with  phthisis,  Mentone,  Malaga,  and 
Algiers  are  preferable.  If  they  go  to  Jamaica,  they  should  arrive  in 
December  and  go  up  at  onee  to  the  hills.  Such  as  are  affected  with 
irritable  bronchitis,  asthma,  and  pleuritic  tendencies,  are  recommended 
to  Madeira,  aud  in  the  spring  to  Pau.  (London  Med.  Times  and  Ga- 
zette, November  4,  1876,  p.  519.) 

When  the  railroad  shall  have  made  this  region  (of  New  Mexico)  of 
easy  access,  the  invalid  may  find  a  genial  aud  proper  climate.  For 
the  weakest  invalids  the  Mesilhi  Valley  should  be  first  resorted  to,  and 


20  NOTES  ON  THE  HISTORY  AND  CLIMATE  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 

thence  the  transit  can  be  made  to  a  northern  and  more  invigorating  air. 
The  summer  in  Mesilla  is  said  to  be  quite  hot. 

Proceeding  from  Santa  F£,  between  Taos  and  Fort  Garland,  the  mili- 
tary wagon-road — conducted  by  Lieutenant  Ruffner — winds  in  the  canon 
of  the  Rio  Grande  and  near  its  margin  for  miles.  The  river  is  narrow 
and  rapid,  hemmed  in  by  peaks  and  precipices,  and  rushes  a  foaming 
fldod  over  rocks  and  bowlders. 

The  Denver  and  Rio  Grande  Railroad,  which  will  be  extended  to 
Garland  by  May  1,  1877,  will  probably  come  down  this  canon  and  open 
out  some  magnificent  scenery  to  the  tourist.  Arriving  at  Fort  Garland, 
situated  in  the  San  Luis  Park,  (8,000  feet  above  sea-level,)  wehave  a  near 
view  of  the  Sierra  Blanca,  one  of  the  highest  of  the  Rocky  Mountains — 
14,404  feet — easier  of  ascent  than  Mont  Blanc,  (15,784  feet,)  the  Jung 
Frau,  (13,671  feet,)  or  the  Matterhorn,  (14,370  feet.)  A  daily  line  of 
stages  passes  Garland  toward  the  San  Juan  mines,  reaching  the  Rio 
Grande  River  in  26  miles,  in  60  miles  La  Loma  and  Del  Norte,  and  in 
about  100  miles  the  summit  of  the  main  divide,  "  among  a  mass  of 
snow-peaks,  in  groups  connected  by  crests  more  or  less  high,  from 
which  the  waters  flow  radially,  and  is  probably  the  highest  portion  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  This  region,  like  that  of  the  Yellowstone  Lake, 
seems  to  be  one  of  the  domes  of  the  continent,  as  is  shown  by  the  fact 
that  the  same  rivers  which  eventually  flow  west  flow  at  first  east  and 
south,  like  Grand  River  and  Lake  Fork."  (Reconnaissance  in  the  Ute 
country  by  First  Lieut.  E.  H.  Ruffner,  United  States  Engineers,  Wash- 
ington, 1874,  p.  31.)  Among  those  mountains  whose  heights  have  been 
determined,  we  have  Summit,  13,356  feet ;  Bristol  Head,  11 ,814  feet; 
King  Solomon,  13,073  feet ;  Engineer  Mountain,  13,270  feet.  The  high- 
est  of  all  is  Mount  Chauvenet,  altitude  unknown  to  me.  King  Solomon, 
in  the  Sierra  La  Plata,  and  Mount  Galena  (12,978  feet)  are  in  the  rich 
silver  and  gold  mining  region,  now  rapidly  filling  up  by  immigration. 

From  Engineer  Mountain  "  masses  of  snow-peaks  rising  a  thousand 
and  two  thousand  feet  above  timber  are  seen,  with  sky-lines  inarvel- 
ously  bold  and  wild.  The  peaks  (says  Maj.  H.  G.  Prout)  are  seen  at 
distances  of  10  to  30  miles  around.  I  doubt  if  any  other  mountain  re- 
gion in  the  world  displays  so  extensive  a  mass  of  increasing  variety  of 
form  so  wholly  grand."  (Page  24,  ibid.) 

The  great  overland  California  Railway  passes  over  no  country  equal 
to  this,  as  it  purposely  and  economically  was  located  at  a  lower  level. 
Here,  about  latitude  37°  45'  and  longitude  107°  28',  the  Great  Sierra 
-Madre  rises  to  its  greatest  height,  and  thence  flow  the  fountains  of  the 
Rio  Grande  del  Norte. 


NOTES    ON   THE    HISTORY   AND    CLIMATE    OF   NEW   MEXICO.     21 

APPENDIX  No.  1. 

SANTA  FE,  December  14,  1876. 
Dr.  McPARLiN  : 

DEAR  SIB  :  According  to  your  request,  I  have  the  honor  to  send  the 
statistics  of  deaths  occurred  among  the  Catholic  population  of  the  par 
ish  of  Santa  Fe  since  I  have  been  the  rector  of  the  said  parish. 

The  parish  of  Santa  Fe,  as  it  is  now  established,  comprises,  besides 
the  city,  the  towns  of  Agua  Fria,  Cienega,  Tesuque,  and  Rio  Tesuque  ; 
it  is  to  say,  a  population  of  seven  or  eight  thousand  inhabitants. 

Here  are  now  the  statistics  of  deaths : 


Years .  Deaths. 

1869  ... :.104 

1870 94 

1871 145 

1872  .  ..183 


Years.  Deaths. 

1873 120 

1874 146 

1875 102 

1876,  up  to  this  date 131 


As  to  the  principal  causes  of  these  deaths  I  ought  to  confess  my  ig- 
norance in  the  matter.  I  am  not  a  physician. 

Influenza  and  whooping-cough  are  sometimes  fatal  and  very  mortif- 
erous,  especially  among  children.  In  last  January  and  February,  as 
you  must  be  aware,  we  had  many  fatal  cases  of  pleurisy.  I  buried  32 
corpses,  almost  all  of  grown  persons. 

It  would  be  an  error  to  believe  tbat  there  is  no  case  of  consumption 
among  the  natives  of  this  country.  On  the  contrary,  asthma,  heart  and 
lung  diseases  are  very  common  among  them.  I  have  actually  some  pa- 
tients who  suffer  of  such  affections. 

I  think  the  principal  cause  must  be  attributed  to  the  sharpness  of  the 
air  and  scarcity  of  good  clothes. 

I  am,  very  respectfully,  my  dear  doctor,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

J.  A.  BEUCHARD, 
Parish  Priest  of  the  Cathedral. 

A  true  copy : 

T.  A.  McPARLiN,  M.  D. 


22     NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO 

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NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO.     23 


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24     NOTES    ON   THE    HISTORY   AND    CLIMATE    OF   NEW   MEXICO. 


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NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO.     25 


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26     NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AUD    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO. 


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NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW   MEXICO.     27 


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28     NOTES    ON    THE    HISTORY    AND    CLIMATE    OF    NEW    MEXICO. 


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